Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

Thank you every one for your kind reviews! ^-^ Please continue telling me what you think about the new chapters!

Then, on with the story =)

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Chapter 2: Happy's way of seeing things

Happy opened his eyes as the train was slowing down. They were arriving at Buttercup! He turned his head to his companion, prepared to announce him the good news. A small giggle escaped his lips when he saw what was left of the dragon slayer. He looked like he was about to die, as always when he was in the vicinity of a train. Drool running down his chin, eyelids half-closed, arms shivering madly.

His skin is so green, Happy noticed, he really looks like a plant! He laughed a bit at this thought, but then he realized his friend had completely stopped moving. Suddenly aware of the seriousness of the situation, the blue flying cat carried his sick friend to the door of the wagon and to the outside world. He stared intently at Natsu, shouting: "Natsu! Put yourself together! Don't turn into a plant! Pleeeeeaaase!" He laid him down and sat next to him, worried. After a moment of utter anxiety, the exceed sighed in relief: Natsu was going to remain Natsu after all!

"What plant?" his greenish companion asked weakly. Happy smiled at him and burst out laughing at his crazy idea.

"Let's go?" Happy said, finally controlling his laughter.

"By foot this time!" Natsu cried while getting up. Hell was he ever going to ride any means of transport again!

"Aye!" With that said, the two Fairy Tail members got on the road to the small village of Talinvene, the place where their job request came from.

. . .

"Natsu, go in before me, I... I just remembered something I have to do! I'll be right back!"

"Happy, wait!" But the blue cat was already far. I'm all on my own now, the fire dragon slayer thought. He looked around him. Everything seemed different. Duller. When have I been alone for the last time? He tried hard to remember. But in his memories, we was never alone. In his memories he was living with Igneel, laughing and fighting with Happy, Lisanna, Gray, Erza, Mira, Cana, Elfmann... In his memories, he was with

Lucy.

He realized how much he missed his partner, even though he had seen her a few hours ago.

Okay, it's no time to be thinking about Lucy! I have to do this job, or else I won't be able to come back home! He recovered quickly from his brief depression, and roared, half smiling:

"I'm all fired up!"

He entered the city hall with as much self-confidence as he could muster. The room he came in resembled a traveling agency, with beach posters all over the walls, flyers on every single counter, and most of all a big white placard reading "welcome to Talinvene!" in numerous languages Natsu couldn't recognize. He recalled the crowd of people in the streets. So the village is really a touristic attraction. It's no big surprise... I can smell the salty scent of the ocean from here.

"I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, I'm here for the mission you posted in my guild!" the dragon slayer claimed proudly, showing his mark to the people in the room. After a moment, an old-looking woman showed up before him.

"Come here, boy, the mayor's willing to talk to you," she said. She kept on glancing at Natsu and shaking her head, muttering something like "can't they even read a job request properly? God, kids these days...". He followed her to the second and last floor of the building, and to a wooden door. She knocked and entered without further hesitation.

It was a little tidy room. A middle-aged man, probably the mayor, sat at a big desk. He lifted his head from his work when he heard the woman and Natsu entering, and gave a questioning look to them. Before the fire dragon slayer could say a word, the old woman declared coldly:

"This boy tells he wants to fulfill the job request."

"Alone?" the mayor turned to Natsu, and gazed at him like he was a complete idiot. Suddenly, realization hit him.

Oh no! I was so down Lucy didn't want to come along I didn't pay attention to the request at all! He remembered now: it was supposed to be a couple work, he wouldn't be able to do it on his own, or even with Happy! Lucy had to be with him for this! After a long silence, he said lamely:

"Er... Yeah, I'm alone. Was it that important to be with a partner to do the job?"

The woman next to him shook her head one more time. The mayor frowned and replied angrily:

"What's with that moron? Of course we need a couple!" And he went on and on about how guilds were deteriorating and how you couldn't entrust them with proper missions any more.

Trying his best to keep his calm, Natsu cut the man short:

"My partner..."

He couldn't finish his sentence.

The door flew open at that very moment, papers were thrown in every direction, and a very familiar voice claimed:

"...Is here!"

"Happy?" Natsu turned round, glad he was back.

"You mean Happynette, darling!" the blue cat answered with a suggestive wink toward his dragon slayer friend.

At the sight of the exceed, said dragon slayer had to stop breathing in order not to burst out laughing. Indeed, Happy was wearing a long blue dress (too long for him) and gross make up that hid his face partially. Happy had thought about the request before him and tried to disguise as a woman! Unsuccessfully, but still!

Natsu glanced at the woman and the mayor. They were flabbergasted. The woman's skin had turned white while the mayor didn't show any emotion. It was bad.

"Run!" he cried to Happy, before correcting: "I mean, fly!"

The two buddies rushed to the window (AN: I know... they have the weird habit to use windows as doors...) and jumped, landing in the street before the mayor could react. They kept on running (and flying) for a while, laughing their heart out. They could still hear the fury speech Tal's mayor addressed to them: something like "Don't ever come here again!" mixed with a bunch of insanities...

What are we going to do? Natsu and Happy wondered at the same time. Now we can't even fulfill the mission...

While Natsu was starting to feel down again, thinking about how much he needed Lucy right now, Happy exclaimed:

"Aye! I have an idea!"

The dragon slayer turned to look at him, a smile on his face.

"I'm not sure I want to see it. I mean, look at you, Happynette!" and he began laughing again, even louder than before.

Crossing his arms, Happy pouted a little, muttering: "I was just trying to help... Anyway," he continued, "I thought we could ask..."

"Hey, you! Yes the blue flying cat wearing my dress!" An angry voice called at that moment.

"Oh, just at the right time! I was wondering if you could help us a little bit more..." the exceed was cut short as the young woman, obviously the owner of the dress, grabbed him, yelling: "What the hell! Give me my dress back IMMEDIATELY, you WEIRDO!" And with that, she pulled the dress off Happy and vanished noisily, after sending the poor cat flying to the ground.

"Happy, you okay?" Natsu mouthed, stunned.

"I... I think she's not willing to help after all..."

"You can say that... What was your idea again?"

"Well, I was thinking of asking someone to be your partner for the mission, since I'm off the list..."

There was a long silence, before a bright red Natsu registered what his friend had just said and replied in a loud voice: "Wha-what? No way! I don't want anyone to be my partner on this except Lucy!"

"So what are we gonna do?" the cat whined.

"I dunno..." Natsu admitted, feeling beaten.

. . .

At the Fairy Tail guild...

"Miraaaaaaaa!" A young stellar mage yelled through the entire building, startling everyone. "Mira, tell me where Natsu and Happy went this morning!" Lucy threw her fists to the counter and stared intently at the barmaid, waiting for her response. Mirajane sweat dropped a little at the blonde's fervency and smiled a gentle smile at her. I knew Lucy would change her mind... Natsu and her would make such a cute couple!

"They went to Talinvene, it's a small village on the seasi..."

"Okay thank you so much! Well, I'm off!" Lucy didn't wait for her friend to finish her sentence and ran to the station, where she bought a ticket heading to the city of Buttercup she knew was near Talinvene.

I don't understand Natsu at all! Why didn't tell me about the job? If he had said we had to go to Tal, I would have jumped to my feet to follow him! It's the best sea resort in the country! And soon the Best Couple of the Year Contest will take place there! Lucy felt her excitement rise fast as she kept thinking.

She got in the train and found a sit. It was still the afternoon, she would arrive at Buttercup before nightfall.

"Wait for me, Natsu! I'm coming!"

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I didn't want to tell about the mission just yet, you'll probably have more explanation in the next chapter... I tried to let a few clues in this one though... ^^

Please don't forget to review this time as well!